NBC’19 partners with DApps Dev Club

National Blockchain Challenge 2019 is Singapore's first cross-disciplinary blockchain hackathon

DApps Dev Club is excited to announce that we will be partnering with the National Blockchain Challenge 2019. DApps Dev Club would love its members to attend NBC’19.

Let’s hear about it from its organiser, Puah Hui Ying, also known as The Geek Wing.

Brendan: I’d like to ask you some questions about NBC’19. Let’s start with the backstory - when did you come up with it?

Wing: Well, I do see 2019 as the year in which blockchain technology will move to more real world use cases. I have always worked in the education space. And I thought that is an alignment that could be kicked off with NBC’19. We see the NBC as a channel for meaningful conversations between government agencies, enterprise and people who are interested in the blockchain industry in general.

Brendan: … and how about yourself, what were you working on when you started?

Wing: Before I got into blockchain, I was running my own event startup, and was in the education space. I got into the blockchain industry last year. The concept of blockchain technology fascinates me, and I am always looking for ways to give back to the community. Besides that, I’m usually coding.

Brendan: What do you think sets NBC’19 apart from the other hackathons? I know enough to say off the bat, that point of difference #1 is that it isn’t just a hackathon. So let’s start with that.

Wing: What we intend to achieve with NBC’19 is to increase awareness about the applications, and the real world use cases of blockchain. So besides the usual element of building a prototype, we are making it a cross-disciplinary blockchain hackathon, meaning it will involve designers, business people, and developers.

Brendan: Hipsters, hustlers, and hackers - I like it!

Wing: Precisely! We want to simulate a real life working environment for this National Blockchain Challenge. Since blockchain is a relatively new concept, we are also holding various workshops that will be relevant to the challenge. The workshops include UX design, development on enterprise blockchain, and agile methodologies.

Brendan: I really like how you’re designing this such that it isn’t just about the competition, but there’s a real focus on learning.

Wing: Also, there will be panels that will explore the current and the future of blockchain, as well as digital upskilling.

Brendan: NBC’19 is open to all students - let’s talk a little bit about that. What’s the impetus for that focus?

Wing: We believe in nurturing the next wave of leaders in this space. Also, to make the competition fair, we decided that it will be a student-only hackathon. The general public is welcome for the workshops, the panel, and the career fair.

Brendan: How is your outreach going?

Wing: So far the response has been great with the schools and organisations. We are about to roll out more marketing very soon, and we believe that it will gain momentum.

Brendan: Now NBC’19 is partnering with DApps Dev Club. I could talk about that myself - but let’s hear it from you. How did we come to partner? And why do you think DApps Dev Club plus NBC’19 works?

Wing: Because DApps Dev Club is reaching out to developers who are interested in the blockchain industry. I see a lot of synergy in that. We are looking at pre- and post-challenge engagement, and DApps Dev Club definitely provides this.

Brendan: That is great to hear. We’d love to have those planning to take part in NBC’19 come to our DADC sessions! Let’s talk other partners - who else is NBC’19 partnering with?

Wing: Well, we have a lot of potential partners we’re still in discussion with. The ones we have confirmed are Blockchain DApps, ikiguide, Singapore Bitcoin Club, Institute of Blockchain Singapore, SUTD, Blockchain & DApps Technology and Merkle Tree.

Brendan: Thank you very much, Wing. It sounds like we should all mark NBC’19 in our calendars right away! DApps Dev club is looking forward to upskilling as many NBC’19 participants prior to the hackathon!

Wing: Yes, being a geek myself, I'm really thrilled with the line-up. And the team is constantly looking for ways to provide more value, and to grow the blockchain community. It's actually aligned with the concept of blockchain, interconnectedness. That's what we are looking to create.


Those who are planning to participate in NBC’19, why not come along to DApps Dev Club sessions to level up your skills?